Motion controller
In computing, a motion controller is a type of input device that uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, or other sensors to track motion.
For motion controllers that calculate and control the motion of mechanical actuators, see Motion control.
Motion controllers see use as game controllers, for virtual reality and other simulation purposes, and as pointing devices for smart TVs and Personal computers.
Many of the technologies needed for motion controllers are often used together in smartphones to provide a variety of functions, including for mobile applications to use them as motion controllers.
History[edit]
Early uses of motion controllers included the Sega AM2 arcade game Hang-On, which was controlled using a video game arcade cabinet resembling a motorbike, which the player moved with their body. This began the "Taikan" trend, the use of motion-controlled hydraulic arcade cabinets in many arcade games of the late 1980s, two decades before motion controls became popular on video game consoles.[1]
The Sega Activator was based on the Light Harp invented by Assaf Gurner. It was released as an optional accessory for the Mega Drive (Genesis) in 1993 and could read the player's physical movements using full-body motion tracking. It was a commercial failure due to its "unwieldiness and inaccuracy".[2]
The Sega VR headset was an early unreleased VR device with built-in motion tracking, first announced in 1991. Its sensors tracked the player's movement and head position.[3] Another early example is the 2000 light gun shooter arcade game Police 911, which used motion tracking technology to detect the player's movements, which are reflected by the player character within the game.[4] The Atari Mindlink was an early proposed motion controller for the Atari 2600, which measured the movement of the user's eyebrows with a fitted headband.
Motion controllers became more widely distributed with the seventh generation of video game consoles. The Nintendo Wii console's Wii Remote controller used an image sensor[5] so it could be used as a pointing device along with an accelerometer to track straight-line motions and the direction of gravity. The Nunchuk accessory for use in a second hand also featured an accelerometer. A later line of accessories and refreshed controllers labeled with the Motion Plus feature added gyroscopic sensors to track all three axes of rotation independent of whether the controller had line of sight to the sensors bar.
The PlayStation 3 launched with the Sixaxis controller included, which featured three-axis accelerometer motion tracking and a one axis gyroscope while not including the haptic feedback (vibration) seen in other modern consoles citing interference concerns.[6] Both features were included in the later DualShock 3 controller refresh.
Several wand-based devices with accelerometer and gyroscopic sensors followed, including the ASUS Eee Stick, Sony PlayStation Move (adding computer vision via the PlayStation Eye to aid in position tracking), and HP Swing.[7] Other systems used different mechanisms for input, such as Microsoft's Kinect, which combined infrared structured light and computer vision, and the Razer Hydra, which used a magnetometer.
Nintendo and Sony would adopt motion tracking using gyroscopes and accelerometers as a standard hardware feature in successive generations starting with their handheld consoles the 3DS and the PS Vita, both of which had the required three-axis accelerometers and gyroscopes. In the eighth generation of video game consoles Nintendo and Sony included those sensors as a standard feature of their two handed game controllers, the Wii U GamePad and the DualShock 4. The consoles also had support for some devices in the previous generation of motion controllers depending on individual games.
Valve's Steam Controller was designed solely for use with PC's and required its Steam software. Its 6DOF sensors were made available for use by games published on Steam, and options available to users allowed the use of its gyroscope as a pointer control. Its motion tracking features would later be adapted for the Steam Deck.
The Nintendo Switch hybrid home/portable console and its included Joy-Con controllers feature 6DOF sensors in each controller in the pair as well as in the main body of the console. The optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and Poké Ball Plus controllers also feature 6DOF sensors.
In the ninth generation the Sony PlayStation 5 continues to provide similar motion tracking for the included DualSense controllers, while supporting the use of older generations of motion controllers when playing backwards compatible games.